A12406:444
The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his…
The sermons of Master Henry Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his corrected copies in his life time.The sermons of Maister Henrie Smith gathered into one volume. Printed according to his corrected copies in his life time.
London: printed by Richard Field for Thomas Man, 1593
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Who then is the least in the Kingdom of Heaven? not he which breaketh the least of the Commandments, but he which teacheth others to do so: that is, he which by defending, and excusing, and mincing, and extenuating his sin, encourageth others to sin too.
Who then is the least in the Kingdome of Heauen? not hee which breaketh the least of the Commaundements, but hee which teacheth others to do so: that is, he which by defending, and excusing, and mincing, and extenuating his sinne, incourageth others to sinne too.
To defend Usury, they distinguish upon it, as they distinguish of lying. As they say, there is a pernicious lye, and an officious lye, and a merry lye, and a godly lye: so they say, there is the Merchants usury, and the Strangers usury, and the Widows usury, and the Orphans usury, and the poor mans usury, and the biting usury, and the charitable usury, and the necessary usury. As God said, Ye shall dye; 1and the Woman said, peradventure ye shall dye; and the Serpent said, ye shall not dye: 2so there be three opinions of usury. Some say like God, thou shalt dye; they think that Usury is utterly unlawful, because God hath utterly forbid it: some say like to the Woman, peradventure thou shalt dye; they doubt whether Usury be utterly unlawful or no, because it is so much tolerated; some say like the Serpent,3 thou shalt not dye; they think that Usury is lawful, because it is gainful, as Saul thought, that the Idolaters beasts should ⟨p. 180⟩not be killed,4 because they were fat. But, as he was commanded to kill the fat beasts, as well as the lean: so we are commanded to kill fat sins as well as lean sins, gainful sins as well as prodigal sins.